Hamas and Israel are wrangling over the details of a potential ceasefire agreement, with the Palestinian group telling Reuters it has approved a list of 34 captives presented by Israeli authorities to be released as part of the first phase of that deal. Israel has denied that claim.

      Israeli forces continue to pound Gaza, killing at least six Palestinians in two separate attacks on northern Gaza City overnight.

      Meanwhile, an eighth Palestinian baby has died of hypothermia in the Gaza Strip, where families are enduring a harsh winter as Israel continues to restrict the entry of humanitarian aid, including blankets and tents.

      Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 45,805 Palestinians and wounded 109,064 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day, and more than 200 were taken captive.

      Al-Shifa was a dream and a nightmare

      When I started studying nursing at Al-Azhar University, I knew I wanted to work at al-Shifa Hospital. It was my dream.

      It was the biggest, most prestigious hospital in the Gaza Strip. Some of the best doctors and nurses in Palestine worked there. Various foreign medical missions would come and provide training and care there, as well.

      Many people from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip sought medical help at al-Shifa. The name of the hospital means “healing” in Arabic and indeed, it was a place of healing for the Palestinians of Gaza.

      In 2020, I graduated from nursing school and tried to find a job in the private sector. After several short-term jobs, I got into al-Shifa as a volunteer nurse.

      From the very first day [of Israel’s war], the hospital became overwhelmed with casualties. After my first shift ended that day, I stayed in the nurses’ room crying for an hour over everything we had been through and all the injured people I had seen suffering.

      Within days there were more than 1,000 wounded and martyrs in the hospital. The more people were brought in, the harder we worked, trying to save lives.

      I never expected that this horror would last for more than a month. But it did.